A Lyle Professor and Lab Manager Battle COVID — One Invention at a Time

What do you do with an idle maker space in the middle of a global pandemic? Manufacture medical personal protective equipment (PPE), of course.

While this might not be everyone's first thought, the idea came naturally to one SMU professor and lab manager. With an empty campus and the materials and drive to help, they quickly put themselves to work. Read on to learn about the process and impact of their project! 

A Little Innovation, A Large Impact 

On an ordinary day, the Deason Innovation Gym – also known as the DIG – in the Lyle School of Engineering is populated with students using 3D printers, laser cutters and other high-tech and common tools to create personal and class projects.

During these extraordinary times, however, the DIG is being put to use by Seth Orsborn, professor and director of DIG, and Alyssa Phillips, DIG lab manager, to manufacture face shields for area medical professionals.

As the COVID-19 pandemic intensifies, so does the demand for different kinds of PPE. Orsborn and Phillips settled on making face shields using an open-source design from developer Josef Prusa because it enabled them to quickly make an impact.

The PPE Manufacturing Process at Work